This K-Drama Stumbles Badly to 1% Ratings— The Harsh Reality Behind the Flop

'The Divorce Insurance', once a highly anticipated K-drama headlined by star actor Lee Dong-wook, is now facing a disappointing reality — sinking ratings and waning public interest.

The tvN drama premiered on March 31 with a modest 3.2% nationwide rating (per Nielsen Korea). But since then, it has taken a steep dive, hitting just 1.0% in its 10th episode — one of the lowest ratings for a tvN Monday-Tuesday series in the past five years.

The drama tells the story of a fictional task force team that treats divorce as a form of societal disaster — and aims to solve it through a unique “insurance” product. Despite its fresh premise, viewers found it difficult to connect. The show's intended “lighthearted take” on a heavy topic like divorce was widely seen as shallow and lacking credibility.

Critics point to the tonal mismatch as a major issue. Many viewers found the idea of turning divorce into an insurance concept unrealistic and emotionally detached. What was meant to be a quirky, thought-provoking romantic office comedy ended up feeling disjointed. The genre blend — office drama meets rom-com — left audiences unable to fully engage with either side.

As the episodes progressed, plot developments slowed, conflict structures became repetitive, and emotional arcs between characters remained vague. Viewers found it increasingly difficult to stay invested.

To make matters worse, the drama airs in a time slot packed with high-energy reality shows about love and marriage, many of which use fast-paced editing and dramatic twists to hold viewers’ attention. In contrast, The Divorce Insurance offered a slower pace and less tension — failing to compete in an increasingly saturated landscape, especially as more viewers shift to OTT platforms.

Looking at the ratings trend, the drop is undeniable:

Ep.1: 3.2%

Ep.2: 2.5%

Ep.3: 2.0%

Ep.4: 1.4%

Eps.5–6: around 1.3–1.0%

Ep.9 saw a minor bump to 1.4%, but Ep.10 fell back to 1.0%

Despite featuring a star-studded cast — Lee Dong-wook, Lee Joo-been, Lee Kwang-soo, and Lee Da-hee — the series failed to deliver a convincing narrative or compelling direction. Even a key romantic moment in Episode 10, where characters No Gi-joon (Lee Dong-wook) and Kang Han-deul (Lee Joo-been) share a kiss, wasn’t enough to draw viewers back.

Only two episodes remain before the finale, but it appears unlikely that The Divorce Insurance will recover from its slump. Once seen as Lee Dong-wook’s high-profile comeback, the drama has instead ended up with the unfortunate label of having one of the worst ratings in tvN Monday-Tuesday drama history. With little buzz and few viewers left watching, the bigger question may be: Will anyone even notice how it ends?

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